Research has shown that there is evidence of cannibalism within the species of wolf spider. The study shows that male wolf spiders will occasionally prey on female wolf spiders. The males targeted the older females rather than the younger ones. The research team hypothesize that this behaviour improves the reproductive success of males, as they eat females with a lower reproductive value and mate with females with a higher reproductive success. Update: Males have also been observed killing/ dismembering and occasionally eating other males. This seems to be a territorial act as the limbs are later arranged around the nesting area of the living male.